The Phoenix Will Rise
by Krazy95
Summary: After waking with little memory of a life on Earth, seventeen-year-old Tyler Phoenix is rushed into a prophetic war in which he is supposed to be a key character in. But with no knowledge of the world around him, apart from what he knows through the video games themselves, can Tyler really expect to live up to expectations? Will the Phoenix Rise, or Burn to Ashes? Pokémorph Fic.
1. Mud

**Chapter One – Mud**

My heart starts pumping again. I feel a surge of warmth around my body, and I stir. I am alive, but currently, no more than conscious. Memories start to form in my mind, such as my name, age and gender, thankfully. Things which seem to be important are there, but there is a gaping hole for most of the other areas of my memory.

Now I am conscious, and stirring, feelings are returning to me as the nerves sending signals through the synapses and my blood start to take effect. The oxygen rushing through my respiratory system makes my body rush into action, and as I start to get conscious thought and proper feelings returns to me, BAM! My eyes flash open.

Sense number one achieved. Sight.

Staring straight above me is all I can do right now. I'm looking up at a very overcast sky. Dark clouds, miserable and dull. Greyer than an elephant's hide.

A voice in the back of my mind chips into my conscious thought.

_Surely that should be Donphan? _

Donphan? I recognize the name from somewhere. A Pokémon... from the games series I play. And I heard the voice as such, not just as a thought...

I guess that could be sense number two. Hearing.

Alert, I try and move, needing to know where I am, my surroundings, and who or what will be around me. The panicking movements and the attempt to sit triggers the next sense. A sharp pain up my back cause me to fall backwards. As I fall back, closing my eyes from the pain, something lashes out at me from behind, causes a surge of pain covering most of my side. The pain rips through my body, leaving me almost paralyzed.

Sense number three. Touch.

Whatever struck me _hurt. _To make it worse, I don't have a clue as to where I am. I can just about move my feet and hands, but what use is that? I'm lying on the floor, or ground, or whatever. It's cold, damp, ...sticky? _Why sticky! _As for where the hell I am, this weird surface beneath me isn't helping. Heck, I could be inside a whale's stomach for all I know.

_But that voice in the back of my head tells me 'whale' is the wrong word. _

_It should be Wailmer, or Wailord._

Once again, it's referring to a Pokémon. Why it is, I don't know, but it's starting to really piss me off. I've got enough problems as it is, lying on this damp, cold and sticky ground in God-knows-where.

_Arceus-knows-where, _the voice states. If only I could kill a voice. It would be six-foot-under by now, I swear.

There's even more proof that whatever I'm lying in is something nasty. An indescribably horrible smell is filling my nostrils. Whatever it is, it's putrid, foul, gross, manky, anything used to describe something that smells worse than what's in the toilet. Surely if this was in a civilized area, it wouldn't smell that bad... So maybe it's me. I hope not. Urgh!

_Put it this way, if that's me, I need a bath. Pronto._

Sense number four. Smell.

As I ponder over the smell, what hit me, where the hell I am and what the hell is going on, I notice an odd taste in my mouth. I don't know why it's taken so long to notice it, but it's blood. I've obviously cut my mouth somehow... Hm. It doesn't taste like blood though, from where I've sucked on a bloody finger or a paper cut... Weird.

Taste number five. That's all of them ticked off my list.

However, I have noticed a change. Not necessarily within myself, but there's almost like I have a sixth sense, and I'm aware of my surroundings. My actual, _real_ senses have improved, especially my sight, hearing and smell. I can see everything in a much sharper, crisper detail than before. And that's just an overcast sky. My hearing has improved so much, I can hear my own heartbeat. Touch has changed, I pick up a better, clearer feel of everything. It all feels rather soft, and almost... furry. Taste may have changed too, but all I've I tasted is a hint of my own blood.

I can't hear anyone speaking, but I can hear some chirping and hissing around me. Obviously I'm in a rural area. Maybe there'll be a village nearby, with some villagers around so when I get up I can find out where I am. I need to move, sit up, even just move one of my hands. And it doesn't help that there is something weighing me down. A set of metal bars or branches or something on my back, not heavy, just... stuck to the floor, I guess, and I'm in that same patch of sticky stuff.

I need to stand up, or sit up, but it's hard. After a struggle, forcing all of my energy into a tight push, my eyes closed and groaning from the struggle, I feel the sticky grip of the floor release me, and I'm flung into a sitting up position. Time to open my eyes and see what that sticky crap all over me is. I see all of the sticky crap, which is nice, thick, gooey mud. _Charming. _I can't see anything through the mud, minus a weird red patch on my cheat. Another cut maybe?

I notice the foul smell from earlier again, even clearer now I'm upright. It really is me, so I decide I'd better find somewhere to bathe. Despite being covered in the thick mud, I force myself, with extreme effort, to stand upright. I still feel like my back is weighing me down. Maybe I've just got a couple of branches wedged in the mud with me.

_'Or maybe you have wings,' _the annoying and almost instinctive voice in my mind states to me. I want to ignore it, due to the fact that wings are parts of insects and birds, and I am a human. But since I've been awake, it's been there, and it's suggested that elephants, whales and God should be Donphan, Wailmer and Arceus. This is really confusing me, and the voice is admittedly scaring me. Stupid smart-assed voice wedged in my brain.

As I wobble on my feet, I notice how they feel...different. It's like my feet have changed proportion, and the feel of my toes, even through mud, in unusual. Probably hurt, it's urgent that I find somewhere to bathe now, as I might have seriously hurt myself. Scanning my surroundings, all I see is mud, dirt and grass everywhere. A thick wasteland of dirt, mud and clumps of dirty, dry, dying grass. Excluding a small forest nearby, I don't frickin' see anything. It's overcast, probably close to raining, and it looks dark, despite the fact I can faintly see the sun (_or another star, _the voice echoes) high in the sky. It must be a few hours until dusk, so I can make the most out of the weather. In fact, I think maybe sitting back down would be a good idea. But, then again, that thing that walloped me may come back, so I want to be able to kick the shit out of the arrogant git. If they're going to hit me when I'm down, I'll hit them back twice as hard.

Now, not to seem weird here, but I'm shy. Frankly, if it wasn't for the fact I was hit, and I'm raging, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even approach anyone. If I find anyone. I'm timid as heck. I can faintly remember a memory of this girl I liked asking me out, and I said no because I was too scared to say yes. But it feels like it wasn't me... like it was another person. I have another similar blurry memory appearing too. I think I went to the Pokémon VGC finals and I met the game-makers,. I'm pretty sure I'd always wanted to meet them, and yet, I was too shy to ask for an autograph, or ask any questions. I'm sure that I won't even say hi to my parents some days. But... I can barely remember this all. It's like a blur, like it was someone else's life. I can recall my parents, moments of triumph and failure, and... this small and short memory before I was here. Being dragged... but that's all I remember. Stupid, really...

I've got to do something instead of stand on a muddy plain for a while, so I trudge off towards the forest slowly, drenched in thick mud. The mud seems to be glued to me, like when your pet runs through the mud, and it clings onto their fur for days, and washing it for hours doesn't seem to help.

The closer I get, the harder it seems to walk. After around twenty minutes, I'm guessing that the mud is drying and hardening around my limbs, as every step takes about ten seconds of effort. _Just what I need. _As exhaustion starts affecting me, all I can do, in my eyes, at least, is vent out some anger. Looking up at the overcast sky, I scream and curse with all of my power. As I shout, at the top of my lugs, a flock of birds chatter angrily, and swoop down towards me, pecking me. I can feel the sharp tips of their beaks jabbing into me, prodding me, cutting me. I shout out in pain.

Wrong thing to do.

They're even more riled now. I catch a glimpse of a golden beak before getting hit in the cheek, and I feel it cut. I've obviously angered them, but they've gone and downright screwed me over. I'm angry, and through the pain, I lash out again and again, swinging my arms randomly, keeping my eyes firmly shut. I don't want an eye ripped out. I feel less beaks jabbing me, and hear the cries of the birds as they fly away. But there is one still there. I hear it's wings beat as it approaches me. Taking my chance, I duck, then turn and lash out, striking it. I hear it cry out from pain, before a dull thud indicates it's hit the floor. Opening my eyes, I see that it is indeed on the floor unconscious, and as I stare at the poor thing, I gasp. It wasn't that the bird was out cold on the floor from my doing that made me gasp. It was the bird itself.

It's golden beak I'd noticed earlier was long and hooked. It's blue-black face was covered by what looked like a hat, due to a long and thin rim, with three spiky tufts giving it that look. It's small and scrawny body was at a weird angle where it has hit the floor hard, with it's wings spread. And it had a red band around a bushy and spiky tail.

It was a Murkrow.

A Pokémon! From those video games I played! This was so awesome, but... seriously weird. Hm, maybe I could catch it, like you did on the games...I reach out to it, stroking it, before trying to hold it in my arms, but I still feel pretty stiff, although a little less stiff than before. I attempt to capture it, throwing a rock on the ground at it. No success. In fact, that may well wake it, and the last thing I need is more cuts and bruises from ignorant Murkrow... Murkrow. A bird from a game I can remember playing. And it feels real. I can touch it and prod it, even punch it... What the hell? Having a _real _Murkrow lie on the floor next to me, after I punch it... That seriously couldn't be right. It had to be some sick kind of joke.

It had to be...

Someone was setting me up, trying to confuse and manipulate me. This was wrong to a whole new degree. I growled deeply, and turned around, staring out at the plain sprawled out in front at me.

"Okay, you ignorant, stupid bastards! Why is there a Murkrow on the floor? What did you bastards do to that poor bird there? You've sickeningly twisted it! You sick asses!" I kick at the ground angrily, and curse to myself. What a day I'm having. I lash out at the ground with my foot again, draining myself even more so, as the mud takes hold. It's then that I feel a drop of water hit my face, then another on my shoulder. It wasn't long before it became a downpour. _Rain. I'll be out of this mud soon. _I'm just about to shout out in victory when I feel a hand press against my mouth, effectively gagging me. And the thick mud I'm caked in means that I can't do anything to stop said gagger. I try and shout through their hand, but I get a chilling whisper in my ear.

"Shut up or I'll leave you to die."

_Gulp._

Okay, so I'm feeling thrown off by the whole 'leave you to die' thing, but I decide that shutting my trap is a good move. Its raining now, and the mud is dripping off of me. The person grabbing me decides they don't want to get dirty, so push me back. I fall to the floor, but manage to get myself back up on my feet without too much difficulty. I swivel around angrily to face said gagger, and gasp again. _Pretty sick of all this gasping, aren't you, _says that stupid voice. So, why am I gasping again, you may wonder? I'm staring at a... a... hybrid. A human female crossed with a Pokémon.

Why am I sure she's a Pokémon? I'm starting to think I'm in a world filled with Pokémon, that I've somehow travelled dimensions and worlds or something. I mean, a voice which I've never heard before suggesting that common names for animals are Pokémon, saying God and being told it's Arceus, the God of all Pokémon, and seeing a Murkrow, an actual, real Murkrow! Then seeing her. I may have had my doubts about Murkrow, but I'm convinced now, because here's no denying this one. It can't be a hoax. You can't hoax the shape of the eyes and body, the perfectly formed bushy tail and amazing body markings and patterns, or the thick, and surely soft, fur covering her body. Awkwardly, she's naked, but it seems there isn't really any choice here to avoid that situation. But what is she? I run through a list in my head briefly, but can't picture what Pokémon she is. I just gape, open-mouthed at her.

"What are you staring at, you idiot? I'm just a 'Morph, much like you from the looks of it," she said to me, rather disdainfully. I'm firstly angry with myself for offending her, secondly feeling embarrassed, and, wait, what did she say?

"Hey, did you say you're a Morph?" I ask.

"A Morph. Yeah. A human/Pokémon hybrid, to make it harder. I know its a Pokémon I'm combined with because I recognize the species from the Pokémon franchise. Surely you should know this, being one yourself?" She looked at me with that disdainful look again, and I felt myself glare at her.

"Shut up, will you?" I angrily say, before she walks up to me, well, runs up to me, and thwacks me with that huge bushy tail. I go flying to the floor, in pain and confused.

"How did you... What?" I'm confused beyond my own boundary of idiocy.

"I'm a morph between a human, and a Pachirisu, okay? A Pokémon, as I've already said. And you're an ignorant, annoying fool, who seems to have nothing better to do than lie there, encased in mud, still staring at me." I feel myself staring at her, and look away quickly. But thanks to staring at her, it hits me dead on. Her rounded, brown eyes and small pointed nose, and the yellow fur on her cheeks, that had a slight pink mixed in where she's obviously feeling at uncomfortable at my observation of her. The pointed blue ears, and her long, flowing pale blue hair, slightly damp from the rain. The huge bushy tail she has, with it's three spiky tips, and long pale blue stripe running all the way from the end of her tail to the space between her eyes.

The same tail that knocked me to the floor when she decided to attack me with it.

Oh, and her hands and feet are pawed, with the human amount of what once were fingers and toes. The rest of this girl is covered in a white fur, which makes her seem more comfortable, albeit ever so slightly, with me staring, despite her blushing anyway. So she has a sort of squirrel-y appearance, and is around six inches smaller than me, standing at five-foot-one.

She's a real Morph. The Murkrow is real. Urk. I feel stupid. I look at her, and feel a lump form. The nerves are starting to hit.

"Look... Hey, I'm sorry... I just don't believe this... I mean, I'm not a Morph... I'm a human. My name is Tyler Phoenix and I'm a human. I don't know where I am, and I'm sorry, but I must be having a dream... Damn it, this is so bloody confusing!" At the curse, the girl flinches, and smiles at me.

"Tyler Phoenix, despite being a really stupid boy, you aren't the only one in a weird situation. I'm a human too. Well, at least, was... I remember being dragged down a corridor."

_I had the same memory. _A long corridor, feeling someone drag me. My eyes flickering open and shut, and seeing the white walls around me, shining brightly, the linoleum against me burning my skin from friction, and the fear I struggled against as I was being taken somewhere unknown by the people carrying me.

"And a few memories of life, but nothing more. At least I know my name. My name is Alexandra Fynn, Alex for short. And that I'm sixteen. But nothing else. really.."

Appreciating her feelings, I approach her, but she backs away. "You come near me, and I'll attack you again. You may have introduced myself, but you're still a threat. Especially with what you are..." I stare at her confused, and rub my cheek, where I can feel the blood drying on my damp skin... Hang on, feel it drying? It should have just trickled and washed away in the rain... I feel my face, and it feels furry. This is really weird. But I think I know what's going on. I hold my arm below my face.

When I saw my arm, I should have seen myself.

But I don't see my human self at all. Firstly, I see a thin chest, covered in white fur down to my waist, minus a blue, rounded, triangular shape that links to a pair of 'shorts'. The rounded triangle has a red rounded triangle border inside it, which is pretty bold against the dark blue. My legs, like my arms, are also white, but my feet from my shins down, and arms upwards from the wrist, are covered in a blue fur much like the 'shorts'. I also notice that I have claws on both my feet and hands, where toenails and fingernails were, and that I feel unnaturally comfortable walking on them. I can't see my face, but feel clearly that is slightly pointed. Finally, I notice that I have tufted, pointy ears, which are very soft to the touch, very sensitive, and are fun to stroke, and that the thick branches are in fact... wings? Really? I have wings. Twisting my neck, I look and see that, like most of my back, my wigs are blue. I assume that I can fly,butI'm not going to try. I'm too exhausted for that. I'm feeling truly shocked, and I just don't know what to say. It's now my turn to blush, as Alex looks at the non mud-covered Tyler. She approaches me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"A Latios Morph. Very awesome. So, Tyler, I'm sorry, but you know you're a morph now..." She says to me, with a blank stare. "You need to be so careful. You could get yourself killed shouting like that. And if I have to, to make sure you don't shut up, I will kill you. Seriously Tyler, the last thing I need is a loud-mouthed fool right now. Got it?" I gulp, and frown. She looks away, giving me a chance to gulp and recover a bit.

"What are we going to do? We're in the same situation here." I stare at the sixteen-year-old nervously.

"We're going to find out who we were, but firstly, we need to establish where we are, and what's going on." I say, Alex smiles slightly at my outburst, obviously in the know.

"Maybe you should follow me, before trying to be Mr Heroic and getting yourself killed. I know somewhere safe enough." she says, taking hold of my curiosity.

"Really? Right. Sure, I'll follow you Alex. Like there's anything around here anyway." I mutter. She smiles at me and starts walking.

"You'd be surprised, Tyler, you'd be very surprised." As she leaves, I realise I can't be left behind, so despite my exhaustion and the time, we start walking through the forest.

Heck, this is weird, and I'm still confused, but I guess I'll just have to adapt, right? Urgh, I hate whoever or whatever has done this to me. I hate you. You've left me somewhere that's really far from anything I know at all. You've left me with a cute squirrel girl who seems nice enough, but will happily kill me. And I'm battered, bruised and in no shape to go anywhere, but I have to if I want to live.

Although, saying that, this is a whole new world for me to explore, to discover. No rules or restrictions, no parents, no nagging teachers to lecture me for not getting homework in on time, despite my best efforts to. This could be really fun, a whole new adventure.

But still, I'm not too happy about this.

God-damn you, whoever you are, despite giving me a new world to explore. I was happy enough in my previous life. I was settled. Things were good, y'know? God-damn you.

Hm...

_Should that be Arceus-Damn you?_


	2. Trees

**Chapter Two – Trees**

Being stuck in a forest as the sun goes down is never going to be fun if you aren't camping. It's even worse when you've got an angry sixteen-year-old female who continually pushes you forwards, drags you through bushes and brambles, and threatens to leave you stranded in a forest that doesn't seem to end if you fall behind. See, for her, it's fine. Compare:

She is:

A) Used to this environment,

B) Pretty rested and healthy,

C)Knows where the hell she's going.

As for me, I:

A) Do not know the environment, so am following her,

B) Battered,bruised and exhausted,

C) Completely and utterly lost.

I think you see the problem here. So you have me, a Latios Pokémorph who is actually a human. Who has no idea where he is and is following a Pachirisu Pokémorph, who is also human, but seems to know where she is. Alex is swiftly moving ahead, ducking branches and jumping high roots with ease, along the rough dirt pathway that we're following. It's barely visible, but Alex hasn't strayed from it once. Behind her, but not by very much, you have yours truly. I don't mind being behind, but come on, if she's fine to leave me trailing in the dust, how do I know that where's she's taking me to isn't a pit filled with hungry, hungry Hippowdon?

_There we go, you've got it right all by yourself again. You have some potential, _my voice whips up. Scowling to myself, I ignore it, and keep on walking. _You can't ignore me, Tyler. I'm as much part of you as you are. _My voice decides it obviously wants to pester me, but I'm somewhat intrigued by it's statement. How is it as much of me as I am? I wait for an answer, but nothing comes. Looks like my voice is as temperamental as an out-of-tune radio.

Oddly enough, it's because, despite her aggressive and rather murderous side, I trust her. She's been willing to help, and despite continual harassment throughout this journey, it's been because she wants us to be at this 'safe place' before it's late. Well, very late anyway. The sun is starting to go down, and everything is getting pretty dark and creepy. I hope she has some place where we can camp, but I'm thinking otherwise. A nice, long walk to wherever. I'm already bloody wiped.

"Hey, Alex?" I call. "Can we stop somewhere soon? Even for ten minutes? I need a break, God-damn-it." I swear quietly and lash out at a tree. As a Weedle falls out of the tree, hitting the floor with a thump, then squealing, I kick it, sending it flying.

_Arceus-damn-it, Tyler. _I wish my voice was a real person. I'd kick them so hard. Anyway, Alex turns and looks at me, a pretty fierce glare as well.

"Tyler, I've told you so many times, this is an easy journey, and we can't afford to be out here at night. Unless you want me to leave you in this wilderness, just follow my Arceus-Damn instructions, OK?" She snaps and turns to walk away again, but this time, I've had enough. I'm pissed off to the point where I couldn't care less what happens to me.

"OK, Alex. So you'll abandon me, will you? Go ahead and leave me then, if you're that insensitive. Do it. Whatever. I'm staying here to rest, because in case you haven't noticed, I'm torn, battered, bruised and fucking exhausted!" I can't take being forced to travel against my will by a sixteen-year-old squirrel girl who thinks she can control me. Alex stops dead in her tracks, and turns around, looking directly at me.

_If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under._

I barely have time to react before I have a tail smashing into my face again. This looks like it's going to be repetitive, so I'm really hoping my new body will get used to squirrel-tail beatings. After all, it seems to be much better with everything else.

Back to Alex. Once again, I'm knocked to the floor by a white and blue bushy tail. It's actually able to pack quite the punch. As I stand up, she pushed me to the floor, and scratches my chest and arms with her sharp claws. I can feel the skin rip open, the intense pain draining my energy even more than it already has, blood seeping from the many cuts. I feel a little hazy as I attempt to stand, like everything is being played in slow-motion. I stagger around, losing my bearings, and trip over a root, which I've done so well to avoid. As I hit the floor, a huge wave of darkness sweeps over me, and the pain fades away.

The last thing I hear before passing out was my lovely second voice, chipping in with another loving remark.

_Tyler whited out. Alex gained 1 Exp.!_

I don't know how long it's been since I passed out when I come around. It's dark, so when I open my eyes I can see a slight flickering of light nearby. Everything else is shadowy, hazy and a complete mess. I struggle to move, but find I have the energy to sit up at least. As I put pressure on my arms to sit up, pain rips through my body once more. _Another feeling I'm getting too used to. _I cry out from the shock, and lean forwards, breathing heavily. Surveying my surroundings, I find I'm still in the forest, but there's a fire lit in a slightly more open area, and sitting beside it is Alex. She's heard my outburst, and is looking over at me, looking concerned, but visibly pissed off. I butt-shuffle along the floor towards Alex, who can't help but laugh at my sorry, pathetic state. To be honest, I wanted to laugh to, but couldn't muster the happiness to.

"Hey Tyler, you got a problem? Durant's in your pants?" she jokes, giggling now. A manage to smile at that, and remember Durant. A large, metallic ant with huge jaws... One of them in my pants would be bad enough, but a whole swarm? … I'm not going to get into that. I manage to smile at her, and as I butt-shuffle so I'm sitting next to her, I decide it's my turn to try and start something funny, and joke back.

"If one was in my pants, I'd be scared enough as it is. A whole group of them, well, that's just not fair... Not that I'm wearing any pants..." I laugh at my own joke, and she laughs loudly, causing a Murkrow that's been following us to caw at us from a tree. That same Murkrow I happened to smash into the ground only hours earlier...

"Hey, Alex, do you guys have clothes? I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable here..." Alex stares at me, before bursting into a fit of laughter. I'm so confused. "What's so funny about asking for clothes?" I inquire, not finding any sense in her fit of laughter.

"Tyler, you're a Morph in a world where no humans are. Clothing isn't necessary. Society is much more relaxed here. Imagine how I felt arriving here, as a girl. I come from a society where men stare at women and girls all day... I felt the same when I first arrived here, but you get used to it."

Okay, I can understand what's happening, but still If I see a girl who's good looking and I get, well, turned on, I'm going to have by far the most awkward situation of my life.

But I don't want to get into that when I can feel the fur on my chest and arms cracking as the blood dries on it. It's a weird sensation, having fur. It's like, imagine when you wrap up in a blanket. It feels like that, but warmer, furrier, more comfortable, and far more sensitive. It's the closest I can get to describing it. I also keep noticing myself playing with my tufted ears. The fur is fun to play with, as it's very soft, and with little underneath it, it's twisty and I can run my hand through it.

_Childish thoughts for a Latios... _the voice pops up again.

"_Who the hell are you?" _I ask it once again. I expect nothing, but this time, I get a whisper in my ear.

_I am your only true ally, but also your worst nightmare._

_Well, that makes perfect sense... _

Slowly, I feel a wave of drowsiness sweep over me. Alex is watching me with a concerned expression. I smile slightly, close my eyes, and lets my dreams take over.

It's the next morning now, and I'm feeling pretty refreshed. On the other hand, emotionally I'm not. I really don't know what to make of Alex right now. She seems to be friendly one minute, and he next she's trying to hurt me, or kill me. I've woken up at God, I mean, Arceus knows when in the morning, and it's pitch-black. The fire has gone out. But I can still see. Everything is in night-vision. I can see everything clearly. I can see Alex curled up asleep by the fire's burnt-out ashes, looking the most peaceful I've ever seen her. She looks really cute, all wrapped up. But I already know that when she's awake, she's vicious and has a split personality about her. One minute, she's friendly, the next, she slices the skin on my arms and chest pen with sharp claws.

Talking of said injuries, Alex applied a balm to it while I was asleep. When I woke up, she was already pacing around the mini camp-site she made, and was casually checking on me. It was only when I was upright she actually noticed me properly.

"Hey there Phoenix. How's the slashes? I'm sorry about that, but you seriously pissed me of there." I glared at her strongly, causing her to recoil slightly, but then stopped, and walked up to her, jabbing her in the arm with a claw.

"You may be a bitch sometimes, Alexandra Fynn, but you're all I have at the moment. If you don't take me to this place we're going, I'll die out in the wilderness. And it doesn't help I'm being harassed by that Murkrow..." As I mentioned the Murkrow, it poked it's head out from the tree it had been in all night, stared at me, and cawed indignantly. Alex laughed at the Murkrow, gave me a serious stare, and jabbed me back, but only gently. She then laughed, beckoning me over. As I stood close to her, I whispered very quietly to her.

"What do you want?" She stared seriously, and I started to panic.

"Just thought you better know, that Murkrow over there, it's befriended you. Since you knocked it out, it seems to have become fond of you." She whispers back.

"You mean I can catch it?" I say loudly, from excitement. She shakes her head, and I realise this isn't going to be quite like how I thought it would... This Murkrow is just going to tag along for the ride, so it seems. Well, good luck to it. I think today I'm rested enough to test out this body to a better extent.

"Hey, Alex. Up for a run? We lost a lot of time last night, so maybe we should get some speed behind us." I smile at her, and, surprised, Alex smiles back, nodding. She gives me a mysterious look, like she's trying to figure me out. I'm harder to crack into than a Clam. _Actually, that should be Cloyster._

See, I can learn, OK? No more questions or doubts. That's for my stupid second voice.

So off we go. Me and Alex, Alex and I. Off we run. The thrill I'm getting is exhilarating. My balance is so much more improved, and I'm much must faster. As I dart through the forest, dodging trees and bushes, leaping over roots and twisting around wild Pokémon, I feel the wind rush through my fur. The feeling is so amazing, it's just... I can't really describe it. Like having a hair-dryer blowing your dry hair without the heat at a much faster speed and covering all of your body at once. I only realise then that I'm leaving Alex behind. So I slow don and wait for her, then run at her speed. In fact, I'm running at a jog next to Alex's running. She stares at me, grinning at me, and this is when it clicks. I'm a Latios. I have the ability to run at hyper-speed and I can probably fly like that too... So I reckon it's time for me to attempt this whole flying thing. Focusing as I run, I spread my wings, focus, jump... and land back on my feet as normal. Hm. A Latios who cant fly. Odd. I'm going to have to learn. Groaning, I keep running with Alex, and we work our way through the forest, tree by frickin' tree.

Ah, the sight of a forest ending, and a valley beneath us, with grassy plains on all visible sides. It's like something out of a movie I once watched. The breathtaking view really makes me wonder where I am, as I'm sure nowhere on Earth could look anything like this. _And I'm pretty sure that Pokémon aren't found anywhere in Earth too, but that's just a random guess, isn't it? Heh, I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore. _But what captures my breath the most isn't the valley or the fields around it. It's the huge citadel spanning the sides of the valley, built into the valley walls themselves. This is where Alex has brought me. I don't know why, but there must be important reasons, other than keeping me safe.

"One of the many settlements home to Morph-kind. Welcome to Foesa." Alex crops up before I can ask anything. So the settlement in the valley is called Foesa. It's not a huge place in terms of area on the outside, but it's long, and thin, and probably a lot bigger than it first looks as it's most likely built into the rocky terrain underground.

Pretty soon, my suspicions are confirmed. A few Magneton buzz over to us, flying overhead. They then form a huge magnetic field around us, like a force field almost. I jab it, but get shocked.

"Shit... That hurt..." I mumble, before hearing a scratching noise from the ground beneath us. A small, chubby boy pops up outside of the field, his brown skin covered in dirt. He sits with his head and shoulders out of the ground, but that's all. His rounded black eyes and bright red nose make him stand out quite badly. He frowns at us.

"Morphs detected! Morphs detected!" he shouts out, to what seems like no-one. I feel pretty overwhelmed here. A small chubby boy, who's popped up from the ground beneath me is shouting to an unknown person. The Magneton buzz again as an answer is delivered. A voice louder than anything I've ever heard blasts into my super-sensitive eardrums.

"Who is it Diglett?" it shouts, the voice echoing all around my head. I feel dizzy, but Alex and her Pachirisu friend seem fine. As does Diglett's counterpart...

_Wait, what? There is no Pachirisu friend or other Diglett! _

Snapping out of it, I look around for whoever spoke in the ridiculously loud voice. I had a horrible feeling of deja vu, but I had no idea why. Alex laughs at my horrified look.

"Chill, Tyler. Things will be fine. If you screw up though, I'll do more than scratch up your arms and chest." She says this to me with a grin on her face.

_Its like she actually enjoys hurting me. _

_Gulp. Again._

As I feel myself start to sweat and panic, I see a small figure walking up to us from the distance. Is that the stupidly loud speaker? As it approaches, I lose the sense of deja vu, and laugh a little. Standing outside of the magnetic field, at a height of what must be like two feet, was a Morph that looked like a weird tadpole.

_You should refer to it's species as Tympole, you know. That's what the Morph is. _My voice decides to share it's knowledge with me at a good time, as Alex smiles through the field the the _Tympole _and sweet-talks it with a 'Hey Dart, how're you doing sweetie?" As she says it, she blushes slightly, hiding herself behind her tail. The Tympole, Dart, lights his eyes up at her, and glares up at the Magneton. The group disperse as if by order, and then Dart turns to the Diglett.

"Hey, chubster, you've called me over and I've seen who it is. Alex and some new guy. You can go now," he shouts at the Diglett kid. Although it's funny he's shouting and it isn't bursting my eardrums, and it's funny he thinks that the Diglett boy is chubby, much like my initial reaction, it's rather hurtful to see the boy start crying, and dive underground.

Before I could do anything, Alex put a hand on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear "I got this." She walked up to the small Tympole, who was level with her thighs, and bent down to a crouch. Looking at him, still sweetly, she ran a hand down his chest, and smiled. The Tympole, Dart, blushed heavily, and nervously smiled. He went to speak, and Alex took her chance. Grabbing him by the throat she lifted him up into the air, and glared. "I may be an acquaintance of yours, Dart, but whether I know you or not, you don't talk down to a young child like that. You should know, of all people, about being picked on for certain... _features... _you know what I mean, short stuff?" Like me, the Tympole gulped, but, unlike me, he was going bluer in the face from suffocation.

"H-h-h... I can't b-breathe..." he struggled to say through the strangling. Luckily, Alex knew this and threw him to the ground. She kicked him, and then started a long rant.

_Insert very long, foul, rude and downright nasty rant here._

So, after the little Tympole guy gets a seriously nasty and abusive rant from the sweet-talking squirrel, he decides to pass on the message to the sentries that guard the town's entrances to let us through. Hooray for Tadpole-mon. As we start walking, and we see the gate built into a cave entrance, my lovely conscience-like voice crops up again, enjoying harassing me yet again.

_Now you're talking like Tympole is a Digimon. Seriously, snap out of it, kid. _The voice refers to me as a 'kid'. A child. I'm seventeen.

'_Do you really think you can call me a child at seventeen? Honestly, I'm nearly an adult now.' _I ask it with a hint of fury in my thoughts. A pause.

_...Yes._

Great. All I get back is _yes. _No reasons, no nothing. Just. Frickin'. _Yes. _I give up with this. I'll just ignore it from now.

_You can't avoid dreams and nightmares Tyler. _

"Shut the Hell up!" I yell out loud. Whoops. Alex turns and stops, then looks at me as if I'm going crazy. _Maybe I am..._  
"Hey, Tyler? Are you OK? What was that all about?", she says in an inquiring tone. I shake my head, and carry on walking, straight past her and through the Foesa Gate.

"It was nothing Alex. Nothing at all."

Around an hour later, we'd actually arrived in Foesa. It took so long because I was questioned about 50 times on the way by different sentries, all asking the same questions. _What is your name? What is your age? What species are you? _The same question every time. It's like they thought my name would suddenly change between gate thirty and thirty-one. Each gate had a teleporter to part of the city too, but for some reason, we weren't allowed to use them. Well, _I _wasn't allowed to. Alex could have left me, but didn't. She'd brought me where she wanted me to be, so why not go our separate ways? Hm, I think her offering to come here wasn't all that co-incidental. Too late to go now, so I may as well stick around to see the epilogue of this journey.

At long bloody last, we reach the final gate, and step through, after the usual _What is your name? What is your age? _and so on. Looking at Foesa, I see I'm on the East Bank of Foesa, and can see the buildings built into the side of the valley. I can even see the many Morphs taking part in their daily routines on the opposite side of Foesa, the West Bank. The views were stunning.

But what took me by surprise the most was the sheer number of Morphs.

There were market stalls run by different Pokémorphs, such as a Tropius selling berries and fruits, and a Munchlax auctioning rare foods before he ate them. There were houses galore, with families entering and leaving, young couple strolling out hand in hand, and a few elderly Morphs wandering around, saying hello to everyone they walked past. There were offices, with Alakazam and Reuniclus gathering around outside twisting cutlery and talking about new geeky stuff. And there were the construction sites, everything in shape there. Golem Morph workers using Explosion, the Conkeldurr and Vigoroth Morphs moving objects and breaking walls. There was even a Gyarados (an actual Pokémon) at one, towering over the valley barriers to Hydro Pump a powerful wall to weaken it, before it was broken.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Despite seeing Foesa from above, I never thought it would be so busy! As I stare I awe, I get dragged along by a rather impatient Alex. I notice it getting slowly quieter as we go further down the bank, then it gets _very _quiet after we go into a cave at the far end. A Golbat flies overheard squealing, being chased by what seems to be a lovesick Swoobat. I laugh, thinking of the hilarity of the situation. Poor bats these days. Alex comes to a halt quite abruptly, and swivels on her tiptoes, facing me with a sweet smile.

"Hey, Tyler? We need to wait her now. We can't go into that cave up ahead without invitation." Before I ask why, she swiftly moves next to me, and puts a hand over my mouth. Thinking she is about to threaten me like before, I flinch slightly, but then feel a relaxing hand on my shoulder. "No death threats this time, Phoenix. You're too lucky for that." She laughs a little, and I manage to get a small 'heh' out through my paw gag.

After what seems like an eternity of being paw-gagged and having to wait for a sign of life, I notice someone, or _something,_ watching me from the shades. A see a blue and red flash from where the eyes should be, and a jagged smile, sharp white fangs glinting at me.

"Uh, Alex..." I muffle.

"Not now Tyler." she snaps. I look back, and find that whatever I saw has gone. So maybe I was seeing things. I look back towards Alex nervously, but wipe my head of sweat. I blink, and _vwoosh! _

_Dangling from the ceiling, hanging down, it's jewel eyes staring me in the face, its sharp fangs covered in saliva, and its purple boy glowing in the light, is a very scary Morph!_

I go to scream when I feel Alex's hand tighten on my shoulder. Obviously she's been expecting this. She stares at the hanging Morph, tutting, and grabs him off of the ceiling.

As he hits he floor, I get a better look of him. He must be around four-foot-five, with a gaunt face, and pointed ears. Two diamonds for eyes and a red jewel on his chest, and long arms and legs, both looking quite awkwardly held compared to a normal person, or Morph in this case. His purple skin glistens in the light, and he grumbles about the brightness.

"Brother Topaz. I did not expect to be seeing you here at this time of morning. I was expecting Brother Ra or Brother Draco to be here..." Alex spoke politely to the Morph, who was a 'Brother' of something. A religious cult maybe? The Morph turned and looked at Alex, then back towards me.

"Master called on one of his more faithful servants for today's arrival. Despite Brother Topaz being a creature of the night, Master sees fit that Brother Topaz of all his servants are here to welcome the Latios." _Wait, what? This Morph and his Brethren or whatever have been expecting me? _

_What. _

_The. _

_Fuck. _

_And Alex knows about it too. Great. _The Morph, which I recall as being a Sableye , stares me down, then smiles wickedly.

"Master tells Brother Topaz that you are Tyler Phoenix, correct? Master says you are most important, and that Brother Topaz himself is to escort you to Master." I stare at the Sableye nervously, and nod my head. He grins again, then holds my arm. "Come, you must. Master is awaiting your arrival, Tyler Phoenix."

"B-but wait, wh-wh-what a-about Alex?" I stutter. She smiles reassuringly at me.

"I'll be here when you get out, Tyler." I stare at the Pachirisu girl, smile at her, and turn away. Taking a deep breath, I stare at Topaz, and sigh.

I start to walk reluctantly towards to the cave, and take one last look at Alex. She's already facing away, watching a pair of seemingly blind, legged rocks stumble around.

_Roggenrola is their name, Tyler. _For once I thank the Voice, as these little guys are kind of cute in a blind and rocky way.

I take the step into the cave door, and Topaz stares at me, his wicked grin on his face. As I walk in, and the doors close behind me, I feel a breeze of something rushing past. Just a strong breeze? I hope so... I look at Topaz, his little face twitching in excitement, his hands rubbing together in anticipation.

Opening my wings with a lot of power, I get the demonic Morph's attention as a gust of wind hits him. He stares at me. I look down on the Morph, our gazes connecting, and then I glare at him.

"_Okay then Topaz, let's go see Master._"


End file.
